Life on Mars
2006
Original language: English
- crime
- drama
- mystery
- sci-fi & fantasy
The story
A detective chief inspector from 2006 is investigating a serial killer when he is knocked over by a speeding car. Waking up, he finds himself mysteriously transported back in time to 1973. Initially struggling to come to terms with his situation, he has to come to terms with the old-fashioned technology and attitude of the day, while figuring out how he came to be trapped in the past.
What it’s like
Gritty 1970s Manchester rendered in sodium-orange streetlight, brown and mustard interiors, and the grubby grain of police stations with bad heating and smoky offices. The camera stays close and handheld in tight rooms, cutting between cramped squad cars, pub backrooms and rain-slicked terraces, while the soundtrack mixes period pop and glam with an uneasy, pulsing electronic score that keeps the sense of something unsettled beneath the nostalgia. Its vibe is bruised nostalgia: funny in a sour, deadpan way, then suddenly tense. The pace is brisk and episodic, with each case building toward a sharp reveal, and the emotional spine follows a stubborn, damaged detective who must reckon with his own prejudices and loneliness as the era's rough edges press in on him. Violence is present and occasionally brutal, with the murders and police brutality shown directly though rarely lingered on for gore, and there is persistent sexism, racism and swearing from the period. It suits a late-night binge for people who enjoy police procedurals with a melancholy, time-displaced twist and a strong sense of place.
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